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5/11/2011

Bermud-Ahhhhhhhh

It was a lovely vacation! We sailed out of Bayonne, NJ Saturday afternoon, and for the 5 days we were away (a day and a half at sea to get there, 2 days on Bermuda, and a day and half back), we couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather.

Travel companions were Kristen, Tim and Amy, Tim's parents as well two of Kristens cousings, Jim and Jerry.

With this being my first Royal Caribbean cruise, they definitely made the experience one that I wish to have again with them in the future. Our room was the largest in comparison to any of the other cruises I have been on. It didn't feel cramped like usual, and more than enough room for two girls getting primped and ready at the same time each night :-) The food was wonderful, and the staff was top-notch. I bet you're guessing what's coming now......Yup! Some of the food highlight shots (I won't bore you with ALL of them that I took!)

The first night was just getting acquainted with the ship. It was enormous, and even that is an understatement. There was a Promenade that felt like you were walking down a street. Then, miniature put-put course, full-court basketball (and they turned it into volleyball as well), rock climbing wall, restaurants, 3 clubs, 2-story gym and spa, a solarium, and those are just all the things I'm thinking of off the top of my head.

The At-Sea days were perfect. Both days I found myself the perfect little nook on the sun-deck soaking up the sun and reading. It was a fun dynamic with all of us in that we each went and did our own thing, but we always met up for meals and for activities throughout. Kristen seemed to always be sleeping in the room (what a teenager), Amy and Grandma were winning big money at Bingo, Tim was wing-man for everyone's activities, Grandpa was walking the ship, and the boys were up on the basketball court.

We had our formal evening the first At-Sea night, and I must say, we all cleaned up well! Then we went to the stage production in the Theatre.
My first true experience of really feeling old happened on this trip and this night, because spending the evening with a 17yr old, 16yr old, and a 14yr old wandering around the ship makes a 26yr old feel like a grandma.

Our time in Bermuda was amazing. The first day, we spent the entire morning/afternoon snorkeling. My mask wasn't working at first so that killed about 45 minutes of swim-time, but once I got set-up, I didn't want to stop. It ended up that Tim and I were out for about 2 hours, but it felt like 20 minutes. He has an underwater camera, so he got amazing pictures of fish and coral. When I get them, I'll post again. I was just amazed by the coral though. Never seen anything like it. Fluorescent purple fans, neon yellow and orange brain coral, sea cucumbers, coral that looked like upside down dred-locks. And while the fish weren't as vivid as Hawaii or Bahamas, we got to see schools together all moving in unison through the coral. It was wild.
This was our snorkeling and beach honey-hole. We were out past the farthest canoe.

In the afternoon, Kristen and I took a trolley and went shopping in Kings Wharf. It was very much a tourist mall, but it was interesting talking to locals and seeing their currency.

The second day we went over and explored Hamilton, their Capital. I took off for a little while by myself to go check up the north shore from Hamilton. It was about a mile walk up, but it was breath-taking the whole way. Churches, butterfly fields, a road with an enormous rock-tunnel, and all the homes in their bright pastel beauty. The view on the north shore was worth the hike.

Overall, it was an incredible trip. I'm so glad that I was given the opportunity to join in on all the fun. I always have such a great time when I'm with them. I wonder what part of the world we'll explore together next?!